Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24
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Penn State linebacker/edge rusher Abdul Carter is one of the top draft prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, and he showed why against Notre Dame. Carter was playing with a shoulder injury that looked like it really affected his left arm, and Carter appeared to be playing with significant pain. As a result, Penn State had Carter using his other shoulder more for pass-rushing moves coming off the left side and attacking the right tackle.
In the first quarter, Carter used speed and a rip move to get leverage on the right tackle. That pressure forced Riley Leonard to climb the pocket and throw an inaccurate pass that was intercepted. Just before halftime, Carter chopped and ripped on the right tackle to get leverage. He got low and hunted down the quarterback for a sack. Midway through the third quarter, Carter had a run tackle for no gain. Late in the fourth quarter, Carter beat the right tackle again for a sack but a penalty canceled out Carter’s sack.
For the NFL, Carter is a lightning-fast edge rusher and is strong for his size. Carter is extremely fast off the ball, and his rare explosiveness is even more dynamic with his ability to bend off the edge. While Carter (6-3 250) is a dangerous speed rusher off the edge, given his size, he will have to be Sam’s linebacker who rotates to rush off the edge in the subpackage. Penn State lines him up as an inside linebacker and has him play defensive end, so he already has experience moving around the defensive front. Carter looks like a talented and intriguing chess piece who can play linebacker and defensive end in the NFL while being a dynamic speed rusher. Carter is a top-10 talent who could be an impact player quickly in his pro career.
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Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is not an early-round prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, but he is a dangerous running quarterback who could be a third-string candidate. Leonard gave more proof of that against Georgia and had a mixed game against Penn State.
In the first quarter, Leonard sailed a throw over his receiver and fell into a defensive back for an easy interception. Leonard got his bell rung during the first half and was in concussion protocol, but he came back after halftime and lofted in a nice pass to a back on a wheel route for a completion of about 25 yards. To finish the drive, Leonard used his legs for a short rushing touchdown. However, Leonard made a bad decision trying to fit a pass in a tight window, and it was intercepted by defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. That interception led to Penn State taking the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Leonard came back to tie the game at 24. A cornerback fell down, and that let wide receiver Jaden Greathouse wide open for a 54-yard touchdown. Leonard hit one big completion to help set up the game-winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. Leonard completed 15-of-23 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He ran for 35 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown.
According to some team sources, Leonard could be a third-string quarterback for the NFL. They view him similar to Jeff Driskel as a backup with running ability but limited as a passer. Leonard (6-4, 216) is a good runner and athlete but team sources had some doubts that he would be able to get big enough to be a Taysom Hill-type tight end in the NFL. However, they felt that a team Leonard would probably be happy to have Leonard as a third-string or practice squad quarterback.
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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has had a mixed season, but he has NFL ability, and he will get plenty of consideration from general managers if he decides to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Allar is reportedly returning to the Nittany Lions next season, but there have been some rumblings that he might reverse course and enter the draft. This tape should end those rumblings as Allar gave proof that he needs more development before going to the NFL.
In the first quarter, Allar threw a corner fade pass to the back corner of the end zone but the ball was poorly located short of his receiver and was an easy interception for Notre Dame. A penalty bailed out Allar, but the tape will show pro evaluators a terrible pass by Allar. A few plays later, Allar had a back wide open for a third-and-goal touchdown pass, but Allar threw a pass low and caused the back to slow down and reach back. It fell incomplete on a drop of a bad pass.
Early in the fourth quarter, Allar lofted in a pretty 27-yard pass to his star tight end Tyler Warren, which set up a rushing touchdown to tie the game at 17. After a Notre Dame interception, Allar threw a ball up for grabs in the end zone, and it was picked off; fortunately for Allar, a penalty canceled out his turnover. He wasn’t so lucky in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Allar held the ball too long, and when a rusher was about to sack him, Allar threw flat-footed and across the field. It was a poor pass that floated right to a Notre Dame defensive back for an interception. Allar completed 12-of-23 passes for 135 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception.
For the NFL, Allar has physical talent with a strong arm, size, pocket presence, and an ability to push the ball down the field. Allar has a lot of development issues that need to be fixed, starting with his footwork. He doesn’t have good feet for stepping into throws and sometimes trusts his arm too much. That leads to some ball placement issues and passes off the mark. Allar can be slow to move his eyes and work through progressions. He will lock onto his primary read and needs to get faster working through progressions. Allar has a lot of ability but should return to school to improve before entering the NFL.
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Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton had a good game, showing his next-level ability. To get the night started, Singleton took a screen pass for about 20 yards. That set the tone as Singleton ran hard all night, churning out tough yards and picking up yards after contact. He showed his strength, contact balance, and ability to finish runs well on three short touchdown runs. He finished with 84 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Singleton looks like a potential day-two pick who could be a nice rotational back in the NFL.
